1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to hitches adapted to be mounted on the backs of vehicles for towing trailers or other types of equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to a hitch having a closure latch which has positive locking means to lock the latch in a first position when securing a hooded coupler on a ball hitch and to lock the latch in a second position when securing a lunette coupler on the ball.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous types of hitches have been devised which are mounted on the back of a power-driven vehicle for coupling engagement with the drawbar of a piece of equipment, such as a trailer or the like, which is towed by the power-driven vehicle. Many of these hitches are provided with locking means to secure a closure latch in a locked position on the particular type of coupler that is mounted on the end of a drawbar of the towed vehicle to prevent the latch from becoming disengaged from the coupler during towing of the vehicle. Still other types of hitches are provided with locking means which lock the closure latch in the coupled latched position, and which also will secure the latch in in open position to facilitate the coupling of the hitch on the towing vehicle with the vehicle being towed. Still other hitches are provided with means for automatically releasing the coupling or closure latch. Some examples of these prior art latches are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,098,281, 1,411,230, 1,824,843, 2,332,155, 2,426,532, 2,591,487, 2,766,995, 2,842,380 and 3,475,037.
There are various types of hitch constructions that are used today since there are various types of couplers which are attached to the ends of the drawbars of the towed vehicles. However, there are two main types of drawbar couplers used by the majority of towed vehicles. One type is lunette, which is a strong metal circular ring welded to the end of a drawbar. The ring is placed over a ball hitch mounted on an end of a hook-shaped projection of the hitch. A closure latch on the hitch is pivotally moved into engagement with the top of a ball and traps the lunette thereon. The closure latch will have locking means to prevent the latch from moving upwardly out of its engaged position with the ball hitch.
Another type of coupler is a hooded coupler which has a hollow inverted semispherical-shaped hood mounted on the end of the drawbar. The hood is placed over the top of the ball hitch which partially encloses the ball. The hooded coupler usually will have some type of locking means associated with it which engages the ball to retain the coupler thereon.
There is no known hitch construction of which I am aware which provides a positive locking mechanism for the closure latch of the hitch which securely locks both types of couplers, the lunette and hooded coupler, in coupled position on a ball hitch. U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,266 shows a coupler which locks the closure latch in a position when a lunette coupler is mounted over the ball hitch and which alternately secures the closure latch in an open position to permit the hooded type of coupler to be used with the ball hitch. However, the hooded coupler of this patent relies on its own locking means for retaining the coupler engaged with the ball hitch.